Common symptoms and diagnosis process of Knee Osteoarthritis

The knee osteoarthritis symptoms generally develop in gradual pace. As the cartilage in the knees takes time to wear down and change the way the joint work. But there can be sudden appearance of some of the symptoms, but these are not that common.
Some of these symptoms of knee osteoarthritis are described herein below:
Pain in the knees- The pain generally is the most in the morning or after you have kept your legs unmoved for some time. Even after doing some kind of activity involving your legs like walking or climbing the stairs, you may notice more pain. This pain may gradually increase with time.
Stiffness and swelling of the knees- Another symptom of osteoarthritis is the feeling of stiffness in your knees early morning when you get up from bed. You also may face difficulty in moving your legs after sitting down for a while in a static position. Moreover the swellings make it harder to bend or straighten the knees.
The pain and stiffness are often worse in the morning or after you have been inactive for a while. But the swelling generally occurs after a long period of extreme activity. Even the change in the weather effects the symptoms, like in the cold or rainy season, the pain and swelling can be worse.
Warmth in the knee joint- Sometimes the knee joint can become inflamed. The warmth around the knee joint is the sign of that inflammation.
Limitation of movement- The stiffness, pain and swelling can also result in issues and problems. This can make it hard for you to sit down, stand up, or walk.
Even if you have been experiencing all the above symptoms of osteoarthritis knee the proper diagnosing is extremely vital. In the diagnosis, your doctor will want to rule out other conditions that could be causing your knee pain and other symptoms.
So you need to be very particular about the details that you provide your doctor, make sure you report any injuries you have had in your knees earlier in your life. The following are the proper process of diagnosis that needs to be followed:-
Physical examination- In this process your doctor examines the working of your knee joint in different ways. He may also test your reflexes and muscle strength. The swelling and stiffness of the knees would also be examined.
Imaging tests- The imaging test that is the x-ray can help your doctor confirm knee osteoarthritis as the test shows the bones clearly in your knee joints. It can also ascertain if there is a development of bone spurs in your knees, which generally occurs when the bones start to rub on each other. You may also require to undergo an MRI, magnetic resonance imaging test, which would help show the soft tissues of the joints.
Blood tests- Blood test is important because this would confirm osteoarthritis and rule out rheumatoid arthritis, which can look like osteoarthritis knee disorder sometimes. As, rheumatoid arthritis is caused by an immune system disorder, so a blood test can help identify the ailment.